Poor tang & bolster fit and what this means when re-handling a knife....

I often get in knives to be rehandled that are in poor condition from the maker. Certain brands are pretty much guaranteed to have some particular problems associated. Without the handle maker addressing these issues then all the customer can expect is a prettier handle with the same fit 'n finish problems.


Below is a typical example of a Teruyasu Fujiwara that has angled (not square to the tang) uneven bolsters that are different on the top & bottom and also rounded unevenly where it joins the tang plus the tang has been ground into with a belt, cut off wheel, or stone wheel in several spots....






In this example, should I leave the metal as is (from the maker) the result will show similar to what we see here, with glue lines/filled holes in the tang and along the bolster with a very poor fit up. This would be the quickest and cheapest thing to do but as mentioned above, all the customer gets from going this route is a fancier looking handle.

Instead, I prefer to remove the maker's mess, grind the tang down to a hidden style and square up the bolster in all directions. This is more work, and more expense, for the customer but it is the correct thing to do if what is desired is top quality workmanship.

I'm showing you this so that you can examine your handle(s) pre-shipping to see what problems may arise and need addressing prior to re-handling your knives. It's not always going to be so clear as the above example yet if you look close enough you will see things that I too will see and have to bring to your attention.

Dave

 

Huh! Looks very much like the maker tig welded both the blade and the tang to the bolster.
I'd grind the tang down to a hidden style as you suggest.
Or, what you could do if you were feeling CrAzY is cut the tang off flush with the bolster, then drill & tap the bolster and screw and epoxy in a bit of bar for the tang.
Sounds tacky, but if the tang feels too feeble, it might be preferable or necessary. It might be quicker?

 

That's not a bad idea Dan. :cool1

 

Wow, hard to believe the maker would allow me that to be sold. Could it have been possibly sold as a second?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Seems like it would just be easier to use a file and square it up....Teruyasu has always been particularly bad in the fit and finish dept, but Hiromotos are seldom flawless in this dept too... the big grind marks in the tang...that just sucks.

 

I see these knives all the time just like this.

 

Yeah you're right about Hiromotos, they have issues too.

Oh and I've tried using files on these Fujiwaras, I'm either not that good at it or too impatient.

 

Filing around a tang gets boring very quickly. If your concentration lapses you are just going to be chasing the level round and round the tang. Even if the bolster surface is even, it is very difficult to get truly level by hand, it's just the nature of the beast. Sometimes just eliminating the unknowns and starting afresh is better, as per my suggestion. Having said that, you would need to have a good drill, drill vice and a steady hand to do it!

 

I takes a real craftsman and artist, who will only let something he's proud of leave his hands, to straighten out crap like that.

 

Thanks Jeff.

BTW, here's what the handle turned into....

(bottom knife)

 

Perfection

 

I wish! But thank you Tom